I am fully aware that it’s been about four months since my last post on this blog, but I’m here to say I’m back! Thanks to all the focused studying and writing I did while not updating this blog regularly, I am pleased to report that I successfully completed my MSW program in May!

The last few months of my semester were tough, but the payoff has been sweet. The two years it took to complete my MSW program now feel like they flew by — even though it felt like the assignments would never end. All my classmates and friends have graduated, too, and are moving on to bigger and better things (and if you’re reading this and still in the area, let me know! I suddenly have lots of free time to hang out).

But of course, obtaining an MSW is only the first step. In a month or two, I’ll be starting my new job as a provisionally licensed clinical social worker in an emergency room, doing risk assessments and working towards my full license. In the meantime, I’m studying for my licensure exam and trying to fit in as much traveling as I can before my schedule gets packed!

And, naturally, I will be watching and reviewing more movies for this blog.

During my four-month absence, there have been lots of new movies that tackle mental illness, and I’ve also watched some older movies that deal with the subject. I hope to dive back into more thoughtful, critical analysis of the ways that mental illnesses are portrayed in media, just as I’ve done for the last two years. I hope you’ll all join me!

Oh, yeah. I’ve also rebranded! I always sort of knew the “Masters & Movies” moniker was a placeholder for something else, since I would (hopefully) not be in graduate school forever. I like Reel Psych for lots of reasons, but primarily I like that it’s a pun. It also takes the focus away from grad school and onto the general concepts of psychiatry and psychology that I hope to cover as this blog grows!